John Roy Briggs
Accountancy in Layton, UT

5920445, Jul 6, 1999

May 30, 1997

8/866168

Thomas J. Angellotti - Ogden UT
John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Paul Johnson - Kaysville UT
David E. Jones - Layton UT
Carl F. Nicklos - Ogden UT
Mark S. Thayne - West Point UT
Yiping Ma - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555, G11B 2108

360106

There is disclosed a disk drive having a linear actuator for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a recording medium. The heads are mounted on a carriage assembly along with a voice coil motor for driving the carriage assembly into and out of engagement of the heads with the medium. The carriage assembly slides linearly on a central guide track. A flexible mounting suspension is provided for the central guide track for linear movement by the carriage assembly so that initial linear movement of the carriage assembly is by flexing the suspension and further, larger linear movement of the carriage assembly is by sliding along the guide track. In one form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at the front end by a flexure and at the rear end by a bearing. In another form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at each end by a flexure.

5748410, May 5, 1998

Nov 15, 1996

8/749999

John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Robert S. Patterson - Ogden UT
Jason Dewey - Ogden UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555, G11B 2108

360106

A voice coil actuator return path and a slotted flex circuit member for a linear actuator of a disk drive, which together accurately and precisely position the center guide track, and align the mass and forces of the electrical circuit on the carriage are disclosed. The outer return path is precisely formed from laminations of low carbon steel. The outer return path supports and accurately positions a central guide track, on which a carriage assembly slides. Moreover, the outer return path is oriented in a rectangle that is coupled to a disk drive platform, and includes an aperture through which a portion of the carriage assembly passes. A flex circuit member, which electrically communicates with the read/write heads, includes a slot that enables the central guide track to pass though. The slot enables the flex circuit member to be connected to the carriage assembly near a center axis of the carriage. The flex circuit member has a center of mass and center of force approximately equally distributed on each side of a vertical plane passing through a centerline of the central guide track.

6137651, Oct 24, 2000

Jul 31, 1998

9/127168

Lawrence D. Clayton - Farmington UT
Carl E. Ellis - Layton UT
Todd Graves - Garland UT
Peter Shay - Bountivelle UT
Thomas J. Angellotti - Birmingham MI
John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Paul Johnson - Kaysville UT
David E. Jones - Layton UT
Carl F. Nicklos - Ogden UT
Mark S. Thayne - West Point UT
Yiping Ma - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555

360106

Disclosed is a disk drive having a linear actuator for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a recording medium. The heads are mounted on a carriage assembly along with a voice coil motor for driving the carriage assembly into and out of engagement of the heads with the medium. The carriage assembly slides linearly on a central guide track. A flexure is provided for the central guide track for linear movement by the carriage assembly so that initial linear movement of the carriage assembly is by flexing the flexure and further, larger linear movement of the carriage assembly is by sliding along the guide track. In one form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at the front end by a flexure and at the rear end by a bearing. In another form of the invention the central guide track is suspended at each end by a flexure. The flexure has an attaching mechanism for attaching the flexure to the central guide track so that the flexure pivots freely on the central guide track.

5946166, Aug 31, 1999

Nov 24, 1997

8/976816

Yiping Ma - Layton UT
John C. Briggs - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555

360106

An actuator carriage assembly for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a storage medium while eliminating resonance of the actuator carriage assembly is provided. The actuator carriage assembly comprises a carriage having read/write heads, the heads being mounted on the end of the carriage, and a magnetic circuit for driving the carriage and heads into and out of engagement with the storage medium. The magnetic circuit comprises a coil mounted on the carriage, a first magnet located on a first side of the actuator carriage assembly and a second magnet located on a second side of the actuator carriage assembly. The magnets or the sides of the actuator carriage assembly are biased so that the magnetic flux from the first side is stronger than that from the second side. In an actuator carriage assembly for carrying read/write heads into engagement with a storage medium, a method for eliminating resonance in the actuator carriage assembly is also provided.

5926346, Jul 20, 1999

May 30, 1997

8/866227

John C. Briggs - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 554, G11B 2122

360105

An actuator for carrying a read/write head into engagement with a surface of a recording medium includes a carriage assembly including a load beam upon which the read/write head is mounted, and a pair of barriers disposed on opposite sides of the load beam to constrain lateral movement of the load beam to prevent damage to the read/write head when the disk drive undergoes shock. Extending from the load beam may be a pair of wings that ride upon ramped surfaces that are, disposed within the disk drive, as the actuator moves to engage and disengage a data storage medium. Preferably, the barriers are disposed outboard of the wings, so that the wings will contact the barriers and thereby restrain movement of the actuator when a mechanical shock is applied to the disk drive. By restraining movement of the actuator, the barriers protect the heads from mechanical shock.

5768059, Jun 16, 1998

Sep 18, 1996

8/710638

Ross W. Bishop - Ogden UT
Allen T. Bracken - Layton UT
John C. Briggs - Layton UT
David W. Griffith - Layton UT
David E. Jones - Layton UT
Carl F. Nicklos - Ogden UT
Robert S. Patterson - Ogden UT
Ralph L. Sonderegger - Farmington UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 554, G11B 541

360105

In a magnetic disk drive heads are loaded and unloaded onto the magnetic disk by wings attached in close proximity to the magnetic heads. The wings ride on opposed profiles to separate the heads so that they can travel on either side of the disk and the heads are then brought together properly onto the disk. As the heads are withdrawn from the disk, they are separated by the opposed profiles and then the heads are parked on a cleaning pad.

6141189, Oct 31, 2000

Apr 29, 1999

9/302038

David E. Jones - Layton UT
John C. Briggs - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555

3602648

A voice coil actuator return path for a linear actuator of a disk drive, which accurately and precisely positions the center guide track is disclosed. The outer return path is precisely formed from laminas of low carbon steel. The outer return path supports and accurately positions a central guide track, on which a carriage assembly slides. Moreover, the outer return path is oriented in a rectangle that is coupled to a disk drive platform, and includes an aperture through which a portion of the carriage assembly passes.

6310413, Oct 30, 2001

May 30, 1997

8/881803

John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Allen T. Bracken - Layton UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 511

310 13

A disk drive with steering magnets that reduce the magnetic flux leakage from the actuator magnets of a linear actuator is disclosed. The steering magnets reduce flux leakage in the area of the magnetic disk where magnetic information is read and record, thereby enabling disk drive size to be reduces. The steering magnets are arranged along the sides of the outer return path. Like poles of the steering magnets face inward toward like poles of the actuator magnets.

D411188, Jun 22, 1999

Nov 17, 1997

D/079459

John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Paul Johnson - Kaysville UT
Carl F. Nicklos - Ogden UT
David E. Jones - Layton UT
Thomas J. Angellotti - Ogden UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

1402

D14109

5982588, Nov 9, 1999

May 30, 1997

8/866758

David E. Jones - Layton UT
Thomas J. Angellotti - Ogden UT
John C. Briggs - Layton UT
Paul Johnson - Kaysville UT
Yiping Ma - Layton UT
Carl F. Nicklos - Ogden UT
Mark S. Thayne - West Point UT

Iomega Corporation - Roy UT

G11B 555

360106

A linear actuator carries read/write heads into engagement with a removable cartridge having a recording disk. The magnetic heads are mounted on a carriage which moves linearly on a central guide track. The carriage moves linearly on front and rear bearings which move on a central guide track as the magnetic motor is energized. The rear bearing is elongated in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the disk to allow movement of the carriage transverse to the direction of travel. This compensates for planar misalignment of the plane of the recording disk with respect to the axis of the central track.